African-Americans Flock to Django Unchained

Despite the debates and criticism the film Django Unchained has created among Black cultural critics and filmmakers likeSpike Lee, African-American audiences are coming out in force for the slave-themed western. On Christmas day, when the movie opened, 42 percent of its audience was Black.

TheHollywood Reporter estimates that the percentage has leveled off to about 30 percent. But a survey of the top-performing theaters showing Djangoshows that the film has crossed over, playing to both white and Black moviegoers.

"Djangois playing well to African-Americans and to audiences across the board,” said Erik Lomis, TWC president of distribution. “You can't have these kind of numbers otherwise. It's getting everybody." While the film is a hit among African-American audiences, some of the film’s critics have stated that Hollywood would never allow a Black director to tell such a bloody revenge tale regarding slavery.

If so, it wouldn’t have gotten the fanfare that Quentin Tarantino received. A point similar to this sentiment was made by director Ava Duvernay when talking about her film Middle of Nowhere when she said: “My prospects of having my film about a Black woman seen is less than, say, a white man who makes a film about a Black girl, like Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

Django Unchainedhas grossed $77.8 million in North America and has a strong shot at becoming Tarantino's most successful film.

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